Aviophobia AU
by DoctorPiper
Summary: Kathryn has always wanted to visit New York City, but unfortunately, her fear of flying has prevented her from doing so. Luckily, on her first flight, a kind stranger, Regina, is there to keep her calm.


Kathryn stood in line, fiddling nervously with her ticket. The closer she got to the gate, the faster her heart raced. Why was she doing this? She wanted to go to New York City-badly-but was all of this worth it? And _why_ did she come alone? As she made her way through the gate towards the plane, she forced herself to take a few deep breaths and think positive thoughts. It didn't help much, but it helped enough to make her get on the plane without having to be dragged.

Regina looked at her plane ticket and sighed. She hoped the trip would be worth it. Her friends thought she could use a vacation, but she wasn't so sure a trip to New York City by herself would help her relax very much. And a 6:00 AM flight? Really? Once on the plane, she put her bag in the compartment above her row and sat down next to a redheaded woman who was shaking her leg anxiously.

"Hi," she said brightly as she fastened her seatbelt.

"Oh, hello," the woman replied with a polite but obviously nervous smile.

"You okay?" Regina asked.

The woman laughed and said, "Yeah, I'm just...I'm...a bit nervous."

"First flight?"

The woman bit her lip and nodded.

"It's not that bad. The worst we'll probably get is a little turbulence. I'm Regina." She held her hand out to the redhead.

"Kathryn," she said as she took the brunette's hand. They smiled at each other, gaze lingering for a moment.

The flight attendant began to speak and performed the safety demonstration.

"So, what are you going to do in New York?" Regina asked, trying to help distract the poor woman.

Kathryn's heart slowed down some. "I'm mainly going to see some shows on Broadway. I'll probably go to the Met and maybe Central Park...You?"

"I'm not really sure," Regina shrugged. "I'm just going to get away. My friends seem to think I need it."

"Do you?" Kathryn asked. Her voice was so sweet and caring.

"...Yeah," she responded quietly. "Yeah, I think I do..." Kathryn smiled sympathetically.

" _Flight attendants, please prepare for takeoff."_

Kathryn's heart started racing again, and Regina placed her hand gently over the woman's, which was gripping the armrest tightly.

"It's okay," the brunette said with a wink.

Kathryn smiled but was still very obviously anxious. The anticipation of takeoff wasn't helping. Finally, the plane began to move. Kathryn closed her eyes tightly and leaned her head back against her seat. She swallowed hard. Then, she let go of the armrest and grabbed Regina's hand, who reciprocated with a comforting squeeze. The plane rose higher and higher, but it wasn't happening fast enough, in Kathryn's opinion. Instead, there were bumps and shakes during the-what seemed like-hour long ascent, which caused Kathryn's breathing to accelerate.

"It's okay," Regina whispered. Kathryn's hand gripped Regina's tighter. It hurt a bit, but she didn't care. She wanted to help however she could. She continued to whisper comforting words to Kathryn, helping the woman's anxiety levels drop. When the plane had reached its intended altitude and the seatbelt light went off, Regina softly said, "Kathryn, it's alright. Takeoff is over, we're up."

Kathryn opened one eye at a time, her breathing slowing, grip loosening, and with a shaky breath, she said, "Thank you, Regina."

"Anytime," Regina smiled. "You know, one thing that helped me to be less nervous my first flight was when I looked outside. Seeing the sky from this height is like nothing else. It's beautiful. Why don't you try? If it makes you more anxious, you never have to look out that window again."

Kathryn looked at the brunette and was hesitant. Their hands were still linked together, which comforted Kathryn, so she lifted the window shade and looked at the sky. She looked at Regina, beaming at her before she looked back out the window. It was adorable. "It's beautiful!" she said excitedly.

"Does it help?" Regina asked.

Kathryn turned to the brunette. "Yes, thank you." Her eyes were sparkling. "I'm still nervous, but...you've helped very much." She noticed she was still holding the woman's hand and let go gently. "Sorry..." she said shyly.

"It's fine," Regina said with a laugh, slightly disappointed that Kathryn let go.

Kathryn leaned her head back against the seat, this time in relaxation rather than anxiety, and gazed out the window at the blanket of clouds below them. Regina looked out the window, too, for a while, glancing at Kathryn occasionally. After about ten minutes, Regina reached for her carryon and pulled out a sketchpad along with a small drawing kit. She was just going to doodle some abstract designs on a page, but when she looked over at Kathryn again, she found herself admiring the woman's gentle curls, the curve of her neck, and the way the light hit her skin and made her hair shine its beautiful, warm color. She didn't let herself think about it too much. She just started sketching. A few minutes passed, and Kathryn turned to the brunette.

"Oh," she said as she leaned closer. "Is that me?"

Regina blushed. "Um...yeah," she said timidly.

"You're so talented Regina! This is beautiful."

 _You're beautiful._ "Thank you," Regina smiled, her face getting warmer by the second. "I...hope it's not creepy. You just looked so peaceful, and the lighting was wonderful, so I-"

"No, no! I love it. If you want, I can go back to looking out the window...if you want to keep drawing." The woman was still leaning close enough to Regina where she could smell the perfume Kathryn was wearing. It was subtle but beautiful and classy, and this close, Regina noticed the honey brown color of her eyes. They were so soft and warm. Her gaze drifted down to Kathryn's lips, the corners of which were lifted slightly in a gentle smile.

Resisting the urge to lean even closer and kiss this woman who was practically a stranger, Regina looked back into Kathryn's eyes and simply said, "Sure."

Kathryn's smile widened, and she turned around, leaning back in the same position she was in before. Regina continued to draw. Eventually, she noticed that Kathryn's breathing had become slower, and her shoulders were more relaxed. She had fallen asleep. Regina kept drawing and did so for the rest of the flight, and as she was adding more detail to the clouds in the window of her sketch, she felt a bump. They were starting to land. Kathryn jerked awake with a small gasp, and immediately, Regina took the woman's hand and squeezed gently.

"It's okay. I'm right here." Kathryn turned to Regina and smiled. She moved closer and this time, instead of just holding Regina's hand, she wrapped her arm around the brunette's. The warmth of Regina's body comforted her, and she decided to be brave and lean her head on Regina's shoulder. She closed her eyes tightly, squeezing Regina's hand with every bump. Regina's heart was beating quickly, and she kept her grip on Kathryn's hand. Remembering her picture and hoping it would help, she gently said, "Hey, do you wanna see the drawing?" Kathryn opened her eyes and sat up, arm still wrapped around Regina's.

"Oh, yeah!" She looked at the drawing and started talking to Regina about all of the details and how much she loved it. It served as a decent distraction, and before they knew it, the plane had landed and was about to stop. All of the other passengers began to make their way towards the front of the plane, but neither of the women wanted to let go of the other. After most of the other passengers had left, Kathryn squeezed Regina's hand one more time before letting go. "Thanks again, Regina" she whispered softly.

"Anytime, Kathryn" Regina said, smiling.

The two of them walked off the plane together, and when they stepped inside the airport, they stopped. Regina was about to give a reluctant goodbye, but before she could, Kathryn said, "Do you...do you want to come with me? Like...to the plays and...stuff?" Her expression was sweet and pleading, a soft blush on her cheeks, and she was nervously anticipating Regina's response.

The brunette was taken aback for a moment, but then she smiled and said, "I would love to." Kathryn grinned and grabbed Regina's hand as the two women began walking together towards baggage claim.


End file.
